In the US, music archivers are finding that, in order to effectively perform their tasks, they are needing to find ways to work around copyright laws.
The Library of Congress, in a recent study, said that the the current laws are restrictive and anachronistic in today’s digital age. The study was performed over ten years, and also looked at issues raised by changing formats and other technical issues.
Amongst other findings, the study said that if copyright law was to be strictly followed, very little, if any, audio preservation would be undertaken. It further stated that if the law was strictly enforced, virtually all audio preservation activities would be deemed to be illegal.
Yes, it’s another failure of the industry and its attempts to just make a profit at the expense of … the world!